Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
| Grammy Award for Best R&B Song | |
|---|---|
 "Folded" by Kehlani (pictured), Darius Dixson, Andre Harris, Donovan Knight, Don Mills, Khris Riddick-Tynes & Dawit Kamal Wilson is the most recent recipient | |
| Awarded for | Quality R&B songs |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |
| First award | 1969 |
| Currently held by | Darius Dixson, Andre Harris, Kehlani Parrish, Donovan Knight, Don Mills, Khris Riddick-Tynes and Dawit Kamal Wilson, "Folded" (Kehlani) (2026) |
| Website | grammy.com |
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record five times, while Babyface, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers and Alicia Keys have three wins each.
The award goes to the songwriter. If the winning song contains samples or interpolations of songs, the original songwriter and publisher can apply for a Winner's Certificate. Only Stevie Wonder and SZA have won the award back to back.[1] The performing artist does not receive an award unless they are also credited as a songwriter.
Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for music released in the previous year.
Recipients
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1960s
| Year[I] | Song | Songwriter(s) | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 [2] | |||
| "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" | Steve Cropper and Otis Redding | Otis Redding | |
| "Chain of Fools" | Don Covay | Aretha Franklin | |
| "I Wish It Would Rain" | Roger Penzabene, Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield | The Temptations | |
| "Pickin' Wild Mountain Berries" | Bob McRee, Clifton Thomas and Edward Thomas | Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson | |
| "Who's Making Love" | Homer Banks, Bettye Crutcher, Donald Davis and Raymond Jackson | Johnnie Taylor |
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
| Year[I] | Song | Songwriter(s) | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 [43] | |||
| "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" | Kuk Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash and Christopher Stewart | Beyoncé | |
| "Blame It" | James T. Brown, John Conte, Jamie Foxx, Christopher Henderson, Brandon Melancon, Faheem Najm, Terius Nash, Breyon Prescott, Christopher Stewart and Nathan Walker | Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain | |
| "Lions, Tigers & Bears" | Salaam Remi and Jazmine Sullivan | Jazmine Sullivan | |
| "Pretty Wings" | Hod David and Musze | Maxwell | |
| "Under" | Durrell Babbs, Lonny Bereal, Marcus Cooper, Antonio Dixon, Jerry Franklin, Thai Jones, Robert Newt and Kristina Stephens | Pleasure P | |
| 2011 [44] | |||
| "Shine" | John Legend | John Legend and The Roots | |
| "Bittersweet" | Charles Harmon and Claude Kelly | Fantasia | |
| "Finding My Way Back" | Ivan Barias, Curt Chambers, Carvin Haggins, Jaheim Hoagland and Miguel Jontel | Jaheim | |
| "Second Chance" | El DeBarge and Mischke | El DeBarge | |
| "Why Would You Stay" | Kem Owens | Kem | |
| 2012 [45] | |||
| "Fool for You" | Melanie Fiona, CeeLo Green and Jack Splash | CeeLo Green featuring Melanie Fiona | |
| "Far Away" | Marsha Ambrosius, Larrance Dopson, Lamar Edwards, Sterling Simms and Justin Smith | Marsha Ambrosius | |
| "Not My Daddy" | Kelly Price | Kelly Price featuring Stokley | |
| "Pieces of Me" | Charles Harmon, Claude Kelly and Ledisi Young | Ledisi | |
| "You Are" | Dennis Bettis, Carl M. Days Jr., Wirlie Morris, Charlie Wilson and Mahin Wilson | Charlie Wilson | |
| 2013 [45] | |||
| "Adorn" | Miguel Jontel Pimentel | Miguel | |
| "Beautiful Surprise" | Tamia Hill, Claude Kelly and Salaam Remi | Tamia | |
| "Heart Attack" | Richard Butler, Benjamin Levin and Tremaine Neverson | Trey Songz | |
| "Pray for Me" | Antonio Dixon, Kenny Edmonds, Anthony Hamilton and Patrick M. Smith | Anthony Hamilton | |
| "Refill" | Darhyl "DJ" Camper, Elle Varner and Andrew "Pop" Wansel | Elle Varner | |
| 2014 [46] | |||
| "Pusher Love Girl" | James Fauntleroy, Jerome Harmon, Timothy Mosley and Justin Timberlake | Justin Timberlake | |
| "Best of Me" | Anthony Hamilton and Jairus Mozee | Anthony Hamilton | |
| "Love and War" | Tamar Braxton, Darhyl Camper Jr., LaShawn Daniels and Makeba Riddick | Tamar Braxton | |
| "Only One" | PJ Morton | PJ Morton featuring Stevie Wonder | |
| "Without Me" | Fantasia Barrino, Missy Elliott, Al Sherrod Lambert, Harmony Samuels and Kyle Stewart | Fantasia featuring Kelly Rowland and Missy Elliott | |
| 2015 [47] | |||
| "Drunk in Love" | Shawn Carter, Rasool Diaz, Noel Fisher, Jerome Harmon, Beyoncé Knowles, Timothy Mosley, Andre Eric Proctor and Brian Soko | Beyoncé | |
| "Good Kisser" | Ronald "Flip" Colson, Warren "Oak" Felder, Usher Raymond IV, Jameel Roberts, Terry "Tru" Sneed and Andrew "Pop" Wansel | Usher | |
| "New Flame" | Eric Belinger, Chris Brown, James Chambers, Malissa Hunter, Justin Booth Johnson, Mark Pitts, Usher Raymond IV, William Roberts, Maurice "Verse" Simmonds and Keith Thomas | Chris Brown featuring Usher and Rick Ross | |
| "Options" (Wolfjames Version) | Dominic Gordon, Brandon Hesson and Jamaica "Kahn-Cept" Smith | Luke James featuring Rick Ross | |
| "The Worst" | Jhené Aiko Chilombo, Mac Robinson and Brian Warfield | Jhené Aiko | |
| 2016 [48] | |||
| "Really Love" | D'Angelo, Gina Figueroa and Kendra Foster | D'Angelo & The Vanguard | |
| "Coffee" | Brook Davis and Miguel Pimentel | Miguel | |
| "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)" | Ahmad Balshe, Stephan Moccio, Jason Quenneville and Abel Tesfaye | The Weeknd | |
| "Let It Burn" | Kenny B. Edmonds, Jazmine Sullivan and Dwyane M. Weir II | Jazmine Sullivan | |
| "Shame" | Warryn Campbell, Tyrese Gibson and DJ Rogers Jr. | Tyrese | |
| 2017 [49] | |||
| "Lake by the Ocean" | Hod David and Musze | Maxwell | |
| "Come and See Me" | Jahron Brathwaite, Aubrey Graham and Noah Shebib | PartyNextDoor featuring Drake | |
| "Exchange" | Michael Hernandez and Bryson Tiller | Bryson Tiller | |
| "Kiss It Better" | Jeff Bhasker, Robyn Fenty, John-Nathan Glass and Teddy Sinclair | Rihanna | |
| "Luv" | Magnus August Høiberg, Benjamin Levin and Daystar Peterson | Tory Lanez | |
| 2018 [50] | |||
| "That's What I Like" | Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Ray Charles McCullough II, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus and Jonathan Yip | Bruno Mars | |
| "First Began" | PJ Morton | PJ Morton | |
| "Location" | Alfredo Gonzalez, Olatunji Ige, Samuel David Jiminez, Christopher McClenney, Khalid Robinson and Joshua Scruggs | Khalid | |
| "Redbone" | Donald Glover and Ludwig Göransson | Childish Gambino | |
| "Supermodel" | Tyran Donaldson, Terrence Henderson, Greg Landfair Jr. and Solána Rowe | SZA | |
| 2019 [51] | |||
| "Boo'd Up" | Roderick Pusharod Bullock, Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai and Dijon McFarlane | Ella Mai | |
| "Come Through and Chill" | Jermaine Cole, Miguel Pimentel and Salaam Remi | Miguel featuring J. Cole and Salaam Remi | |
| "Feels Like Summer" | Donald Glover and Ludwig Göransson | Childish Gambino | |
| "Focus" | Darhyl Camper Jr., H.E.R. and Justin Love | H.E.R. | |
| "Long as I Live" | Paul Boutin, Toni Braxton and Antonio Dixon | Toni Braxton |
2020s
| Year[I] | Song | Songwriter(s) | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 [52] | |||
| "Say So" | PJ Morton | PJ Morton featuring JoJo | |
| "Could've Been" | Dernst Emile II, David "Swagg R’Celious" Harris, H.E.R. and Hue "Soundzfire" Strother | H.E.R. featuring Bryson Tiller | |
| "Look at Me Now" | Emily King and Jeremy Most | Emily King | |
| "No Guidance" | Chris Brown, Tyler James Bryant, Nija Charles, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Joshua Huizar, Michee Patrick Lebrun, Noah Shebib and Teddy Walton | Chris Brown featuring Drake | |
| "Roll Some Mo" | David Brown, Dernst Emile II and Peter Lee Johnson | Lucky Daye | |
| 2021 [53] | |||
| "Better Than I Imagined" | Robert Glasper, Meshell Ndegeocello and Gabriella Wilson | Robert Glasper featuring H.E.R. and Meshell Ndegeocello | |
| "Black Parade" | Denisia Andrews, Beyoncé, Stephen Bray, Shawn Carter, Brittany Coney, Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim "Kaydence" Krysiuk and Rickie "Caso" Tice | Beyoncé | |
| "Collide" | Sam Barsh, Stacy Barthe, Sonyae Elise, Olu Fann, Akil King, Josh Lopez, Kaveh Rastegar and Benedetto Rotondi | Tiana Major9 and EarthGang | |
| "Do It" | Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, Anton Kuhl, Victoria Monét, Scott Storch and Vincent van den Ende | Chloe x Halle | |
| "Slow Down" | Nasri Atweh, Badriia Bourelly, Skip Marley, Ryan Williamson and Gabriella Wilson | Skip Marley and H.E.R. | |
| 2022 [54] | |||
| "Leave the Door Open" | Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II and Bruno Mars | Silk Sonic | |
| "Damage" | Anthony Clemons Jr., Jeff Gitelman, Gabriella Wilson, Carl McCormick and Tiara Thomas | H.E.R. | |
| "Good Days" | Jacob Collier, Carter Lang, Carlos Munoz, Solána Rowe and Christopher Ruelas | SZA | |
| "Heartbreak Anniversary" | Giveon Evans, Maneesh, Sevn Thomas and Varren Wade | Giveon | |
| "Pick Up Your Feelings" | Denisia "Blue June" Andrews, Audra Mae Butts, Kyle Coleman, Brittany "Chi" Coney, Michael Holmes and Jazmine Sullivan | Jazmine Sullivan | |
| 2023 [55] | |||
| "Cuff It" | Beyoncé, Denisia "Blu June" Andrews, Brittany "Chi" Coney, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Morten Ristorp, Nile Rodgers and Raphael Saadiq | Beyoncé | |
| "Good Morning Gorgeous" | Mary J. Blige, David Brown, Dernst Emile II, Gabriella Wilson and Tiara Thomas | Mary J. Blige | |
| "Hrs and Hrs" | Hamadi Zaabi, Dylan Graham, Priscilla Renea, Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell, Brandon John-Baptiste, Isaac Wriston and Justin Nathaniel Zim | Muni Long | |
| "Hurt Me So Good" | Akeel Henry, Michael Holmes, Luca Mauti, Jazmine Sullivan and Elliott Trent | Jazmine Sullivan | |
| "Please Don't Walk Away" | PJ Morton | PJ Morton | |
| 2024 [56] | |||
| "Snooze" | Kenny B. Edmonds, Blair Ferguson, Khris Riddick-Tynes, Solána Rowe and Leon Thomas | SZA | |
| "Angel" | Halle Bailey, Theron Feemster and Coleridge Tillman | Halle Bailey | |
| "Back to Love" | Darryl Andrew Farris, Robert Glasper and Alex Isley | Robert Glasper featuring Sir and Alex Isley | |
| "ICU" | Darhyl Camper Jr., Courtney Jones, Raymond Komba and Roy Keisha Rockette | Coco Jones | |
| "On My Mama" | Dernst Emile II, Jeff Gitelman, Victoria Monét, Kyla Moscovich, Jamil Pierre and Charles Williams | Victoria Monét | |
| 2025 [57] | |||
| "Saturn" | Rob Bisel, Carter Lang, Solána Rowe, Jared Solomon and Scott Zhang | SZA | |
| "After Hours" | Diovanna Frazier, Alex Goldblatt, Kehlani Parrish, Khris Riddick-Tynes and Daniel Upchurch | Kehlani Parrish | |
| "Burning" | Ronald Banful and Temilade Openiyi | Tems | |
| "Here We Go (Uh Oh)" | Sara Diamond, Sydney Floyd, Marisela Jackson, Courtney Jones, Carl McCormick and Kelvin Wooten | Coco Jones | |
| "Ruined Me" | Jeff Gitelman, Priscilla Renea and Kevin Theodore | Muni Long | |
| 2026 [58] | |||
| "Folded" | Darius Dixson, Andre Harris, Kehlani Parrish, Donovan Knight, Don Mills, Khris Riddick-Tynes and Dawit Kamal Wilson | Kehlani | |
| "Heart of a Woman" | David Bishop and Summer Walker | Summer Walker | |
| "It Depends" | Nico Baran, Chris Brown, Ant Clemons, Ephrem Lopez Jr., Ryan Press, Bryson Tiller, Elliott Trent and Dewain Whitmore Jr. | Chris Brown featuring Bryson Tiller | |
| "Overqualified" | James John Abrahart Jr, John Derisme, Egbert "Budda" Foster, Amaire Johnson, Frank Moka, Cary Singer, Chase Worrell and Durand Bernarr | Durand Bernarr | |
| "Yes It Is" | Jariuce Banks, Lazaro Andres Camejo, Mike Hector, Peter Lee Johnson, Rodney Jones Jr., Ali Prawl and Leon Thomas | Leon Thomas |
- ^[I] Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.
- ^[II] The performing artist is only listed but does not receive the award.
Multiple wins
|
|
Multiple nominations
See also
- List of Grammy Award categories
- List of R&B musicians
- Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance
References
- General
- "Past Winners Search". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved March 4, 2011. Note: User must select the "General" category as the genre under the search feature.
- "Grammy Awards: Album of the Year". Rock on the Net. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- Specific
- ^ Grammy Blue Book (edition 2021)
- ^ "'Now' Singers To Get Grammys". St. Petersburg Times. Times Publishing Company. February 11, 1969. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ "Grammy Awards 1970". Awards & Shows.
- ^ "Grammy Awards 1971". Awards & Shows.
- ^ "Grammy Awards 1972". Awards & Shows.
- ^ "Grammy Awards 1973". Awards & Shows.
- ^ "Grammy Awards 1974". Awards & Shows.
- ^ "17th Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Grammy Awards 1976". Awards & Shows.
- ^ "Grammy Awards 1977". Awards & Shows.
- ^ "Grammy Awards 1978". Awards & Shows.
- ^ "Bee Gees Head Lists For 6 Grammy Awards". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. The News-Journal Corporation. January 9, 1979. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ^ Arar, Yardena (January 9, 1980). "Grammy awards field a definite mixed bag". The Spokesman-Review. Cowles Publishing Company. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ^ "Newcomer Is Top Grammy Nominee". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The New York Times Company. January 20, 1981. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ^ "Lennon, Jones lead Grammy nominees". The Milwaukee Journal. January 14, 1982. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ^ "Toto, Stevie Wonder top Grammy nominations". Lodi News-Sentinel. January 12, 1983. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ "Michael Jackson Tops Grammy Nominations". Detroit Free Press. 11 January 1984. p. 5B.
- ^ "David Foster Leading Grammy Nominations". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. The New York Times Company. January 12, 1985. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ "Best new artist category causes Grammys' only stir". The Gazette. Canwest. February 26, 1986. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ "Veterans top Grammy nominations". The Herald. The McClatchy Company. January 8, 1987. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ McShane, Larry (January 15, 1988). "Irish rockers among Grammy nominees". The Telegraph. Telegraph Publishing Company. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ De Atley, Richard (January 11, 1989). "Grammy nominations: Tracy Chapman, Bobby McFerrin lead pack". Pittsburgh Press. E. W. Scripps Company. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ "Grammys reach out to young listeners". Lodi News-Sentinel. February 21, 1990. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (January 11, 1991). "Grammy Nominees Announced". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Snider, Eric (February 26, 1992). "Cole's 'Unforgettable' wins song of the year". St. Petersburg Times. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Antczak, John (January 8, 1993). "Clapton leads the pack of Grammy nominees". Deseret News. Deseret News Publishing Company. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ "Sting Leads Grammy Nominations With Six". Reading Eagle. Reading Eagle Company. January 7, 1994. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ "The line forms for Grammys". St. Petersburg Times. Times Publishing Company. January 6, 1995. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Strauss, Neil (January 5, 1996). "New Faces in Grammy Nominations". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Strauss, Neil (January 8, 1997). "Babyface, Celine Dion & Pumpkins Compete For Multiple Grammys". The New York Times. p. 2. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Strauss, Neil (January 7, 1998). "Grammy Nominations Yield Surprises, Including Newcomer's Success". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ "Top Grammy nominations". The Register-Guard. Guard Publishing. January 6, 1999. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ "Santana Tops List With 10 Grammy Nominations". The Seattle Times. January 5, 2000. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ "43rd Grammy Awards". CNN. February 21, 2001. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". CBS News. January 4, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ "Complete list of Grammy nominees; ceremony set for Feb. 23". San Francisco Chronicle. January 8, 2003. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ "Complete List Of 2004 Grammy Nominations". Music-Slam.com. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ "Grammy Award nominees in top categories". USA Today. Gannett Company. February 7, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ "The Complete List of Grammy Nominations". The New York Times. December 8, 2005. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ "49th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List". National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on December 20, 2006. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ "Grammy 2008 Winners List". MTV. February 10, 2008. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ "Grammy 2009 Winners List". MTV. February 8, 2009. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ "Nominees for 2010 Grammy Awards Announced -- Full List". AOL Inc. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ "2011 Grammy Awards - complete list of nominees". Los Angeles Newspaper Group. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ a b "2011 – 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees & Winners: General Field". The Recording Academy. November 30, 2011.
- ^ "2014 Nominees" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
- ^ "57th Grammy Nominees". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
- ^ Billboard.com, 7 December 2015
- ^ Grammy.com, 31 December 2016
- ^ "See The Full List Of 60th GRAMMY Nominees".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Grammy.com, 7 December 2018
- ^ Grammy.com, 22 November 2019
- ^ Grammy.com, 24 November 2020
- ^ Grammy.com, 23 November 2021
- ^ "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". GRAMMYs. 2022-11-15. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". GRAMMY.com. 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ "2025 GRAMMYs: See The Full Nominations List | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
- ^ "2026 GRAMMYS: See The Full Nominations List | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2025-11-09.